Leather-splitting machine.



J. BUSIIELD.

LEATHER SPLITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1907.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

JAMESYBUI'SFIELD, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

LEATHER-SPLITTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

Application led August 21, 1907. Serial No. 389,460.l

To all whom 'Lt mayA concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES BUSFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Haverhill, county of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Leather-Splitting Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like numerals on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to leather-splitting machines, and the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated is one adapted for splitting the heel end of soles of shoes for the purpose of providing a flap portion which in the manufacture of the shoe may be turned down to cover the breast of the heel. I wish it understood, however, that the invention is not limited to a machine for this purpose, as it may be embodied in leather-s litting machines adapted to split leather or any purpose.

The features wherein my invention resides will be pointed out particularl in the claims at the end of this specicatlon wherein I have illustrated and described one embodiment of my invention which I have selected for the purpose of illustrating the principle thereof.

In the drawings, wherein thispselected embodiment is illustrated, Figure 1 is a plan view of such a machine; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line -w, Fi 1; Fig. 3 is a view of the knifeholder;'F1g. 4 is a section on the line g/-y, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a section on the line a, Fig. 2.

The machine herein shown comprises a splitting knife, a reciprocating bed or table on which the leather is placed, which bed or table moves toward and from the knife, and a presser element adapted to act on the leather supported by the table and to hold said leather against the table while it is acted on by the splitting knife.

In the present embodiment 3 is the splitting knife, 4 the reciprocating bed or table on which the leather 5 to be split is placed, as shown in dotted lines Fig. 2, and 6 is the presser element which is herein shown as a roll journaled in fixed bearings 7 carried by the frame 8 which supports the operative parts of the machine.

The reciprocating bed 4 is arranged to be reciprocated in ways 9 formed in the frame 8, said Ways being herein shown in the form of grooves in whlch rlbs or wings 10 von the sides of the bed 4 are received. The bed is reciprocated by some suitable' mechanism,

one type ofA which will be presently deadjusted position on the holder by means of a clamping screw 16 in a well known way,'

said knife being provided with the slot 17 through which the clamping screw passes to permit said knife to be adjusted.

18 is a set screw which is screwed into the back of the holder and which forms a back rest for the knife. Said knife holder 13 is arranged to be adjusted vertically or transversely to the direction of movement of the reciprocating bed thereby to carry the edge of the knife closer to or farther from said bed, depending on the thickness it is desired to give to the split portion of the leather.

The knife holder 13 is provided with two arms 20 which overlie the end of the frame 8 and which are clamped thereto by clamping= bolts 21. To permit of the vertical adjustment of the holder 13, said arms are provided with slots 22 through which the bolts 21 extend, and for eHecting the adjustment, I have shown an adjusting screw 23 for engagement with the end of each arm, each adjusting screw bein screw threaded through a boss 24 extending from the frame 8. By this means the knife holder can be adjusted into different vertical positions and maintained in its adjusted position.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, I propose to employ a mechanism for reciprocating the bed or table 4 which is so constructed that the length of rcciprocation of said bed can be adjusted and the position of said bed relative to the knife can also be adjusted. As herein shown the bed is reciprocated by a crank arm 25 carried by a shaft 26 and a link or pitman 27 pivotally oonnected to the crank arm and to the bed. The

shaft 26 is provided with a gear 28 that ically operate to unclutch the driving wheel from the shaft after the bed 4 has made one complete reciprocation. For connecting the pitman to the bed 4, said bed has rigid therewith a forked stud 33 between the fork of W 'ch is received a sleeve 34 whichis pivota ly mounted on the studs 35 that are carried \by the arms. of the fork,v The end of the lik`27 extends through the sleeve 34 and is clampedthereto by a clamping screw 36.

The other endjof the link 27 is screw-threaded :into-a hub 38 which is pivotally mounted on a block ,39 that is received in-ways 40 in the crank arm 25, said block being clamped to.l the ways by a clamping bolt 41'. By loosening theclamping screws 36 and 41and shifting the block 39 with its connected pitman 27 in the Ways 40 toward and from the axis of rotation of the shaft 26 and afterward setting up the clampin screws 36 vand 41, the length of the throw o the crank and consequently the length of the reciprocatin movement ofthe bed can be easily adjusts By loosenin' the clamping screw 36 the bed 4 may be adjusted toward or from the knife edge without varying in an way the length of the stroke. B means o the adjustments herein provided or, it will be seen that the length of the reciprocating stroke of the bed may be adjusted, and the normal position of said bed relative to the knife ma also be adjusted. I havealso provided or vertically adjustin the bed toward and from .the knife, or in otgher words, adjusting said bed in a direction transverseto its reclprocating movement, and for yieldingly supporting the bed so that it will yield slightly 1n a vertical direction if the stock or leather being operated on varies in thickness. This is accomplished in the present embodiment by makln the ways 9 1n which the bed travels in a. be -supporting member 45 which is adjustably carried by the frame 8. Said bed-supporting1 member is provided with the arms or gui es 46 which engage the uprghts of the frame 8 and serve to hold the member 45 in its proper position, and-said member is supported y two headed struts 50 which loose y pass through supporting sleeves or bushings 51 that are in turn screw-threaded into the base-,of the frame, as seen in Fig. 5. Surrounding each of the struts 50 is a spring 52, one end of which en ages the collar or bushing 51, the othereng of which engages a collar 53 screw-threaded to the strut 50. With this construction it will be seen that the springs 52 serve to yieldingly support `the bed-supportin member 45 and that by adjustingl the bus ings 51 vertically in the frame lthe position of the bed-sup ortin member 45 can be adjusted; while Iley adgjusting the collars 53 the tension of the springs 52 can be adjusted. This constructlon, therefore, provides for both adjusting the tensionl of the springs whichsupport the when the machine is at rest.

bedy and for adjusting the bed vertically or transversely to the direction of reciprocation thereof.

The operation of the machine will be readily understood from the above description, and briefly stated is as follows: The parts are shown in Figs. land 2 in their normal position, that is, in the position they will be The piece of leather 5 or other material which is tobe split is placed on the bed (the upper surface of said bed being preferably scored or roughened, as shown 1n Fig. 1, so that it will grip the leather), and the clutch 32 is then thrown into operation. As the shaft 26 is rotated the bed will be reciprocated toward the splitting knife 3, as will be obvious, and the leather 5 will be carried under the presser roll 6. Said roll operates to hold the leather firmly on the bed so that said leather will be carried forward by the bed toward the splitting knife, such forward movementy of the bed and leather operating obviously to split the leather, the splitting operation continuin until the bed has reached the forward limit of its movement. When the bed-has returned to the position shown in Fig. 2, the clutch is thrown out of operation, thus stopping Athe machine and enabling the operator to remove the split piece of leather and place a new one on the bed.

In the splitting of soles as above described, it is desirable that the split portion of the sole should be of uniform thickness regardless of any variation in thickness of the sole. The construction I have herein illustrated is onpl by which a uniform thickness of the sp 1t that t e knife and the presser roll have a fixed position relative to each other but that the bed'is yieldingly sustainedl As a result the part which is split will always be of 'uniform thickness, while the bed will yieldto accommodate any variation in thicknessof the sole.

I have not attempted to show hereinall embodiments of my invention, as the selected form herein shown is `sufficient to illustrate the principle thereof.

v Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by'L'etters Patent is 1. In a leather-splitting machine, the combination with a stationa s litting knife, of a yieldingly-supported for sustainin the leather to be split, means to give the bed ortion is secured. It will be noted a definite forward and backward movement in a fixed direction parallel to the face thereface` of the bed always parallel to the direction of movement thereof.

2. In a leather-splitting'machine, the oom-l bination with a frame, of a bed-supporting member yieldingly and adjustably sustained thereby, a bed sustained by said member, a stationary. splitting knife, and means to move said bed in the bed-supporting member a definite distance toward and from the splitting knife.

3. In a leather-splitting machine, the combination with a frame, of a bed-supporting member sustained thereby,means to adjust said member vertically, a bed supported in an inclined position on said member, a stationary s litting knife, and means to reciprocate said bed in a direction parallel to the upper surface thereof.

4.' In a leather-splitting machine, the combination with a frame having uprights, of a,

bed-supporting member provided with arms or guides which engage said uprights, means to adjust said membervertically relative to the frame, said member having inclined ways, a bed received within said ways, means to give the bed a definite forward and backward movement, a stationaryjsplitting knife toward and from which the bed moves, and

l a presser element to Ihold the leather against the bed while acted on by the knife.

5. In a leather-splitting machine, the combination with a bed for ,sustaining the both to the crank arm and to the bed, a stationary splitting knife, a rotatably-mounted presser roller having a fixed relation to the splitting knife, and means for adjusting the bed toward and from the presser roller.

G. In a leather-splitting machine, the combination with a stationary splitting knife, of a reciprocating bed for supporting the leather to besplit, said bed having a fork, a sleeve pivoted to the fork, a connecting member extending through and adjustably Slecured to the sleeve, and a crank member having-an adjustable crank arm secured to said connecting member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my y"name to this specication, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- JAMES BUSFIELD. Witnesses:

H. E. Pn'rrnNcnlL, DENNIS J. MURPHY. 

